April 15, 2019

EOC News

2019 Appointments and Changes of Status

Bishop Tracy S. Malone announced the following clergy appointments and/or changes of status since publication of the April 1 E-News. Unless noted otherwise, appointments are effective July 1, 2019.

Districts: (CN) Canal · (FL) Firelands · (MO) Mid-Ohio · (MV) Mahoning Valley · (NC) North Coast · (OV) Ohio Valley · (SH) Southern Hills · (TR) Three Rivers · (TW) Tuscarawas · (WR) Western Reserve

2019 Appointments
Pastor Appointment District Effective
Dawan Buie Medina UMC, Associate CN
Jeffrey Lanzer Voluntary Transition MV
Frank McAtee Norwich, Salem, & Sonora UMC’s SH
Jill Scott Portage Faith UMC WR
Tami Toothman-Shoup West Virginia Conference
Matt Weaver Sterling UMC CN
2019 Retirements
Pastor Appointment District Effective
Jennifer Johnston-Baker Claysville UMC SH
2019 Concluding Ministries
Clergy who are retiring from an appointment they accepted after having previously retired; and retiring Local Pastors who have either not completed the five-year Course of Study or have not served 10 years of service without interruption as an Episcopal-appointed Local Pastor.
Pastor Retiring From District Effective
John Wolfe Nelson UMC WR

View the complete list, including retirees and those concluding their ministry. 2019 Appointments and Changes of Status

Guiding Words from Bishop Malone

He is Not Here; For He Is Risen
I am reminded of a story that tells of a little girl who was so excited about Easter. Her mother wanted to be sure that her daughter had some sense of what Easter meant and so she asked, “do you know what Easter means?” And the daughter said, “Yes!” Her mother said, “well, tell me, what does Easter mean?” A huge smile spread across her daughter’s face. She slowly raised her arms in the air and shouted at the top of her lungs, “Surprise!”

Each Gospel writer tells the resurrection story differently. The one thing they all have in common is that the experience of the Risen Christ came as a surprise. Jesus predicted his death and it happened just as he said it would but most of the people around Jesus at that time, including the disciples, had very little, if any, expectation that resurrection would actually happen. They were caught by surprise.

Read the Bishop’s message in its entirety.

Annual Conference

Annual Conference Offering
This year’s offering will support three ministries: the Urban Mission in Steubenville, Africa University, and the Bishop’s Discretionary Fund. Each will receive 1/3 of the offering, which last year totaled $24,705.50. The offering will be collected during the afternoon business session on Wednesday, June 12. Each pastor and church in our East Ohio Conference is encouraged to give generously.

Camps and Retreat Ministries

Early Bird Registration Deadline is May 1
Register by May 1 and your camper will receive a limited-edition 2019 Summer Camp t-shirt that is not available in the camp store. You will also get $20 off your camper’s summer camp fee.

Wanake Resurrection Egg Hunt & Camp Preview Day – April 27
Saturday, April 27 from 2:00 – 6:00 p.m. come spend the afternoon at Wanake’s Resurrection Egg Hunt and Wanake Preview Day as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior. It’s an egg hunt all over camp, complete with more than 2,000 Resurrection eggs, candy, and prize eggs. Bring a friend! Admission is FREE! For more information visit us online at www.campwanake.org or call (330) 756-2333.

Young People’s Ministries

Young Adult House at Annual Conference 2019
The house at 314 E. Third Street in Lakeside Chautauqua is a place for those 35 and younger to go to recharge … your devices, your body (coffee, water, and snacks provided), and your soul with free Wi-Fi during breaks at Annual Conference. Meet and greet at the house Sunday, June 9 with a cookout at 6:00 p.m. and worship at 8:00 p.m. All young adults welcome!

For those who cannot stay for the week, come spend a day together with East Ohio young adults at Lakeside. You can worship at 10:30 a.m. in Hoover Auditorium, hang out at the house, kayak, play tennis, or take advantage of other Lakeside recreational activities, with NO gate fees! Join us nightly Monday, June 10 – Wednesday, June 12 at 10:00 p.m. for devotions!

Learn more about the young adult house.

Multicultural Ministries

Together on Native American Ministries Sunday, May 5, we can empower local spiritual development and educate Native American seminary students to serve God faithfully. As part of your congregation’s preparation for this Special Sunday in The United Methodist Church consider how small groups can engage in studies to learn more about the Native American members of our denomination.

Your generous support of that day’s special offering will provide Native American seminary scholarships and outreach that honors and celebrates Native American heritage, culture and communities.

Download pastor and leader’s kit.

Missions

Liberia Partner Summit
Eighty-four people representing 17 conferences and four General Agencies of The United Methodist Church gathered April 4-5 at Garfield Memorial Church (North Coast District) in Pepper Pike to discuss how each walks side by side in ministry with the Liberia Annual Conference (LAC).

“This is the first Partner Summit where we have been able to come together around a strategic plan,” said Pastor Jason Hockran, Liberia Missions coordinator for the East Ohio Conference. “As the LAC has become a healthy partner with Global Ministries and the other partners from around the globe, they’ve realized they really need to tell people what their most basic needs are as they move from a country coming out of a civil war and coming out of an Ebola crisis to a place where they want to find sustainability and healthiness moving forward rather than just saying ‘yes’ to everything that is offered them.”

Read the article in its entirety.

Missionaries Itinerate in East Ohio
The East Ohio Conference will welcome two Global Missionaries from Cambodia May 2 – 7. Esther Gitobu and Andrew Lee will share their experience  of working to empower women leaders, stop human trafficking, and build churches in Cambodia. Learn more about them and how to support their mission in Cambodia:

  • Sun., May 5 @ UMC Berea (8:00, 9:00, 11:15 a.m.)
  • Sun., May 5 @ Westlake UMC (8:15, 10:00, 11:30 a.m.)
  • Mon., May 6 @ Church of the Saviour UMC (7:00 p.m.)

Clergy

Bishop Malone to Speak at TARRP Workshop
The Town And Rural Resource Programming (TARRP) consortium of the East and West Ohio Conferences invites clergy and laity of small-membership churches to its April 27 event at Pleasant Grove UMC in Muskingum County.

Bishop Tracy S. Malone will be the keynote speaker for the event. This year’s theme is Envision How Your Local Church Can Transform Your Community and the World. Worship will begin at 9:00 a.m., followed at 9:30 a.m. by Bishop Malone’s address. Lunch, a district superintendent panel, and a faithful lay ministry workshop are all included with your registration.

Learn more and register.

Pastoral Care and Counseling

Bi-weekly Resources
In the April 15 edition: During Holy Week when we recall perhaps the greatest violent assault on love we focus on nonviolent communication and how we might best deal with violence in our world, in our families, in our churches and in our denomination.

  • “Be Peace: A Retreat” May 16, 2019 from 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. — REGISTER NOW
  • A Way Forward: The violence we do to one another even in the church. When has being right ever led you to being closer to another.
  • Be the Change You Want to See in the World
  • Heartbreak, Violence, and Hope for New Life
  • Audio Interview: Rabbi Rami with Oren Jay Sofer, Nonviolent Communication
  • Book Review: Say What You Mean
  • Book: Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication
  • What Can We Do to Stop the Violence: Starting in the Family
  • Spiritual Enrichment Groups
  • Listings of our Spiritual Directors

Contact Us
If you have any questions or issues you would like for us to address or would like to get email alerts when new resources have been posted please contact Howard Humphress at hkhumphress@gmail.com or use our quick contact form.

Media Center

The Media Center recently acquired the following resources:

To reserve these or other resources, call the Media Center at (800) 831-3972 x139 or send an e-mail to sarnold@eocumc.com. Browse the resource catalog at www.rqmweb.com/eocumc

Message in the Movies

Message in the Movies banner (colorful film strip


Unplanned
If you are looking for controversy in our Christian faith, there is probably nothing more divisive than conversations around the subject of abortion. This topic is such a potential tinderbox that even our own Book of Discipline states that “Our belief in the sanctity of unborn human life makes us reluctant to approve abortion. But we are equally bound to respect the sacredness of the life and well-being of the mother and the unborn child… We cannot affirm abortion as an acceptable means of birth control.” (¶161.II.K)

Neither does Planned Parenthood, an organization that offers birth control, family planning and health and wellness services along with safe abortions. But you wouldn’t know this by viewing Unplanned, a new film based on the memoir of Abby Johnson (Bratcher), a former director of Planned Parenthood who later left the organization to become involved with the pro-life groups “Forty Day for Life” (well represented in this movie) and “And Then There Were None”. Bratcher’s conversion story follows a convincing trajectory: She had two abortions while young and then volunteered at Planned Parenthood before eventually joining their staff. Viewing an ultrasound of a 13-week-old fetus during a routine abortion convinced her that she was participating in ending a life. And she saw the light.

Read entire review

Credit Union

Mortgages
As spring rolls in, new homes for sale hit the market! Whether you are looking to relocate, or expand or downsize your space, UMFCU is here to help! Get the process started by calling Christine Smith in our Cincinnati office at (800) 373-1059 ext. 12, or by emailing her at csmith@umethodist.com.

Good Friday Closing
On Friday, April 19, all offices of The United Methodist Financial Credit Union will be closed in observance of Good Friday. Members may view share account balances, pay bills, and transfer funds any time through our website, www.umethodist.com.

Events: April 15 – April 28

Click to view East Ohio Conference Calendar.

To submit your event to the East Ohio calendar use this form.
(The East Ohio Conference only accepts East Ohio United Methodist local church, conference and general UM events for listing on the Conference calendar.)

Obituaries

Please pray for the families of:

  • Rebecca S. Swartz, Local Pastor, died April 7.
  • Donald R. Dolick, retired Elder, died April 8.
  • Charles R. Garner, clergy spouse, died April 5.
  • Maxine Hayes, clergy spouse, died April 1.
  • John Wienke, clergy spouse, died March 21.

View obituaries

Classifieds

Details of listings may be found here.

Positions Available

  • Contemporary Worship Leader – Rocky River UMC
  • Director of Worship and Music – Church In The Circle – University Circle UMC
  • Organist – Thoburn UMC
  • Community Mental Health Workers – OhioGuidestone

To submit a classified ad please email swilliams@eocumc.com

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The next scheduled edition of the E-News is Monday, April 29, 2019. Deadline for submission is Thursday, April 25. Send articles to swilliams@eocumc.com.